MATT - Where's the RESS?

Day 3

We have been in the house almost fourteen months now and we're not to the finishing touches part quite yet. We're still furnishing rooms! Two guest rooms and the dining room remain, then we can start filling out those that already have the basics. But we have to get at least one more guest room and the dining room done by this November as I've bravely announced we'll be hosting our first Thanksgiving!

Hubby wanted to get the dining room done first, but I found bedding for the guest room and, ladies, you know what happens when you find bedding you just can't live without. Mattresses become priority number one!

After a long Friday making the rounds at BJs, The Home Depot and more, I couldn't drag Hubby out of the house for any more shopping, but I found a local retailer that sells mattress sets and frames online. I placed the order for two twin sets and not ten minutes later got a call to confirm the purchase and schedule delivery. Wow, could it be too good to be true? Of course!

I was expecting to head off on a long weekend (mini vacation starts today - YAY!) with two beds set up all cute and awaiting their gorgeous bedding. Nope. Just look at what I'm left with! Not only did they bring one frame instead of two, they didn't even bother to set up the one bed for which they did have all the parts. (Sorry the picture is so dark. It's a rainy and dreary day... just in time for vacation - BOO!) To top it off, I tracked the bedding order online and it's not scheduled to ship until July 30.

So I'll wait... patiently... and try to find the positive. I do look forward to each thing arriving and the room coming together piece by piece. Can't wait to share it with you when it's done! Well, the beds will be done, but I'll still need some sort of bureau. Let the search begin!

Challenge: Orchid

Day 2

Bless their hearts, my coworkers gave me a stunning orchid on my last day. Here's the thing. I have pretty much the opposite of a green thumb. Aside from some rogue weeds in the yard, the only vegetation I've ever managed to keep alive is a peace lily and, from what I hear, they're about as easy as you can get. (Also, I'm not too proud to admit that Hubby really drives watering that bad boy.)

Orchid is now about a week old and, as you can see, still looking lovely. My challenge is to keep it this way. Thank goodness for the internet. First stop: Google. Attention: Said plant does not have its own dot com. You've been forewarned as to what happens when you think you can skip the search and just type in the flower + dot com.

Anyway, I've found a lot of great tips and am looking forward to seeing this through. It will be one of my long-term projects that I look forward to updating you on along the way. Please feel free to share any tips with me!

Here's one for you. When I set out on Challenge: Orchid, I couldn't help but think of the old rhyme "Mary, Mary."

Mary, Mary quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockle shells,
And pretty maids all in a row.

I looked up the rhyme to make sure I had the words right and I couldn't believe all the conversation around its origins. Many believe it's about Bloody Mary, the daughter of King Henry VIII, and there are some very dark undertones. I prefer to think of it as a song for little children, and Bloody Mary as a drink.

Repurposing Office Leftovers

Day 1

Well, pretty close to day one, at least. Sure, my last day of work was last Thursday so technically Friday was day one, but it's always easier to start things off on Mondays. Or Sundays. Whoops, guess I'm a day late. For all intents and purposes, today is day one of no job, no commute, no stress and no one to answer to but myself. So why do I have a headache? It seems by body is more in need of a routine dose of caffeine than I thought. I did make it out to Starbucks around 11 a.m., but that's about three hours later than I normally drink my venti iced unsweetened green tea. Won't make that mistake again. Mental note: have something caffeinated by 9 a.m. to avoid a day-long headache. Just in case, I've prepared a nice pot of iced coffee and stocked the fridge for any last-minute fixes.

One of the first orders of business is to set up my new home office and put away all the leftovers I brought home from the real-life office in the city. Those are what you see here (next to the new "super lightweight and easy-to-use vacuum!" Hubby bought me this weekend. Okay, hint taken). After five years (at the last job at least), this is what I have to show for myself. Heaping bags full of magazines, desk tchotchkes, a laptop bag, a jumbo Rolodex (clearly dating myself a bit), personnel files, inspirational books about the joys of marketing (Who Moved My Cheese, anyone?), a variety of tradeshow lanyards in an array of colors, my trusty Camelbak water bottle, coffee mug, a bag of BBQ chips, a grapefruit spoon and a citrus peeler.

I can't think of anything I'd like to do with any of this stuff so I've decided to trash it all and start over from scratch. I'm all set up with my new laptop (okay, I'm repurposing the stand that props it up so I don't hunch over) and all its fabulous wireless accessories - keyboard, mouse and printer. It feels good, not having any wires to get tangled up or tie me down. I'm free to move around and see what else is out there. And that's just what I intend on doing!